Amber Portwood charged with assaulting former fiance Gary Shirley

By Reality TV World staff, 11/19/2010

Amber Portwood may be going from teen mom to teen con.

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Local police have formally charged the Teen Mom star for assaulting ex-fiance Gary Shirley, the father of her two-year-old daughter Leah, during a violent argument which was broadcast on a September episode of the MTV reality series, Us Weeklyreported Thursday.

Portwood, a 20-year-old from Anderson, IN, has been charged with two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence and battery and faces up to three years in jail and a maximum of $10,000 in fines if convicted, according to Us. A warrant for Portwood's arrest is reportedly expected to be issued soon.

Anderson police opened a domestic abuse investigation against Portwood following Teen Mom's September 28 broadcast, which featured the on-again, off-again couple arguing and Portwood repeatedly punching and kicking Shirley.

Portwood and Shirley reportedly split for good in the aftermath of the broadcast, however the case had remained ongoing as police investigated the matter and obtained raw, unaired footage of the argument from Teen Mom's producers.

After completing their investigation, authorities now allege that Portwood attacked Shirley on three different times over a 12-month period, Us reported.

According to police documents obtained by Us, Portwood shoved, slapped and choked Shirley on August 14, 2009; slapped, punched and kicked him again on June 14; and then slapped and punched him once more on July 18. Leah was reportedly watching nearby during all three incidents.

"Child Protective Services agreed it was safer for her to stay at Gary's because of all the photographers outside my house," she told Us.

While being separated from her daughter has been difficult, Portwood said she needs to resolve her own issues before she can concentrate on being a good parent.

"I feel like everything is spinning out of control, and I'm trying to put the pieces back together," Portwood explained. "I have to get myself better so when I get my baby back, she sees her mom as happy as can be."